


One week to fall in love

by Heytherebluesky



Category: Naruto, Shika/Neji - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Real World, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Strangers to Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23369338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heytherebluesky/pseuds/Heytherebluesky
Summary: Short story, pretty silly and filled with cliches, only seven short chapters. Neji meets Shikamaru when he is at his worst moment, and decides to offer him help.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Nara Shikamaru
Comments: 19
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**1**

  
  


Neji Hyūga finished washing the cups and started cleaning the counter. He looked through the window at the dark streets, and then to the clock hanging on the wall. In one more hour he would close the coffee shop and then would be able to leave. 

He wondered his eyes around the tables. There were just two clients left sitting at a corner. Luckily no one else would come in that day. But unfortunately in that moment he heard the door opening. 

Neji cursed mentally. He couldn't leave earlier, so he wished the new customer wouldn’t stay for too long, or in an hour he would have to politely ask him or her to go. He turned to see who had just entered, and saw a young man about his age, with black hair tied in a high ponytail. He seemed pretty normal, but there was something in him that called his attention. His face. He looked tired, angry and frustrated, all at the same time. His expression reflected confusion and despair. The stranger walked to the counter, frowning with his eyes nailed to the floor, and sat in a high chair in front of Neji, not even looking at him. 

“Goodnight”, the Hyūga greeted. “What can I get you?”.

The young man leaned over the counter on his elbow and pressed his septum with his fingers, closing his eyes. “Double scotch, please”, he answered in a very hoarse voice.

Neji thought for a moment, not sure of what to say. He seemed to be in a very bad mood, and his reply would probably annoy him even more. After a few seconds, he decided to tell him. “I am sorry. We don't serve alcohol”.

The stranger lowered his hand and finally lifted his head to look at him. He had dark, black eyes, and they were full of desolation. “What?”, he asked, like he couldn't understand what Neji had told him.

The Hyūga gave him an apologizing look. “This is a coffee shop…”, he murmured, speaking the obvious.

The young man frowned, and straightened on his chair to look around. Then he got back to lean over the counter, rubbing a hand against his face.

“Great”, he said, thought it sounded like he was talking to himself. “Of all the places still open at this hour, I had to enter the only one which doesn’t serve alcohol”. He let out a long, tired exhalation.

It was evident that he was troubled, and Neji couldn’t help to feel bad for him. “I’m sorry…”, he whispered.

But the stranger let go his face and waved his hand in the air. “It’s fine”, he answered with exhaustion. “I’ll just have a coffee. Black, please”.

Neji nodded and turned to get him his order. He heard the young man’s cell phone vibrating, and from the corner of his eye he saw him taking it out of his pocket and staring at it. The phone kept vibrating, but he just ignored it and put it over the counter facing down. Then he stood up slowly.

“Excuse me”, he called to Neji. “Where’s the bathroom?”.

The Hyūga lifted his arm to point forward. “Right through that door”, he instructed. The stranger murmured a tired “thanks” and walked slowly to the bathroom, following his indication.

While he was preparing the coffee, the young man’s cell phone kept vibrating. Someone was obviously calling him, and kept doing it until he returned from the bathroom five minutes later. He seemed a little calmer now, like he had washed his face with cold water, but he still looked really down. He sat behind the counter again, supporting his elbows over the wood and covering his face with his hands. Neji approached to give him his coffee, hoping he could do something to help him.

“Bad night?”, he asked, expecting he wouldn’t be annoyed by the question. But fortunately he didn’t. Instead, he lowered his hands and wrapped his fingers around the hot cup, not looking angry, but sad.

“The worst of my life”, he answered. Then he closed his eyes and said nothing else.

His cell phone started vibrating again, moving slowly over the counter. For an unknown reason, Neji really wished he could give the stranger some comfort, so he decided to keep trying to make conversation. “Your phone has been vibrating a lot”, he said. “I think someone is calling you”.

The young man let out a slow breath, not opening his eyes yet. “Yeah”, he responded. “It’s probably my wife wanting to know where I am”.

Neji didn’t expect that answer, because he looked pretty young to be married. He was glad that the stranger was not blocking him out, so he took it as a good sign and kept talking. “She must be worried”, he said.

The young man supported his forehead in one of his hands, with his eyes still closed. “She didn't look too worried an hour ago when she was riding another guy in our bed”, he responded.

_ Crap. _ Neji felt like he had really screw things up. That was a terrible thing to hear, and now he understood why he looked so miserable. He bit his lips, wishing he could travel back in time and not meddle in other people’s business. “I’m sorry”, he apologized. “I shouldn't have say a anything”.

The stranger frowned, though he didn’t seem to be mad at him. He simply looked hurted. He ran his hand across his face and then let his arm fall over the counter. “It’s okay”, he said, finally opening his eyes a little. He stared into the coffee in front of him with a gloomy expression. “You couldn’t know”.

A long silence came after. Neji didn’t even realized he was staring at the stranger in front of him, who was still immersed in his thoughts. He had completely forgotten about the hour, and he barely noticed when the other two clients left the coffee shop. Watching at the young man’s sad eyes he could almost feel his anguish in the air. He wished he could do something for him.

“I’m very sorry about your wife”, he dared to say in a low whisper.

The stranger’s face contracted in a wince. He looked confused and completely lost. Neji heard him growling, and then saw him shaking his head slightly.

“I just…don’t get it”, he started saying. “She was the one who wanted to get married. I was fine with things as they were”.

Neji realized he was going through a lot, and he looked so alone and helpless that he decided to be there for him, at least just so he could clear his thoughts. “Why did you do it, then?”, he asked softly.

The stranger shrugged. “I don’t know, I just imagined it was the natural order of things, you know? You date a girl for a very long time, then you get married. I never expected it could go wrong. I mean, I thought I knew her...”.

He sounded so sad that Neji didn’t care about closing the coffee shop anymore. “Were you married for a long time?”, he asked, hoping to help him get things out of his chest. The stranger didn’t seem to mind about his questions. 

“Just about a year”, he answered. “But we had been dating since high school”. He stared deep into his coffee, like trying to find an explanation to his problems in the dark liquid. “We were together for such a long time that I thought we would always be together. That’s why when she said she wanted to get married, it just sounded right. We had even talked about having kids soon. I was never thrilled about becoming a father, but I had just accepted it was the next step”. He took a moment, considering his own words. Then he frowned again. “It was okay, because it was with her”.

It was a very sad story. Neji could only imagine how hard it must had been for him to find his wife with another man, after so many years of being together. He knew he would feel just as miserable in his place. 

“I am very sorry”, he repeated, because there was nothing else he could say.

The young man took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah…”, he whispered. “Me too…”.

He was searching in his mind for something else that could ease the poor man’s torn emotions, when he heard the door opening again. Neji turned to the sound to say that the coffee shop was about to close, when he saw his friend Tenten walking through the door. Right, they were supposed to meet for dinner, but after the stranger arrived he had totally forgotten about it. 

“Hey”, the girl greeted, approaching to the counter. “Why haven't you closed yet? It’s late, and we have to be in the restaurant in ten minutes”.

“I know, I’m sorry”, Neji apologized. The stranger turned an inch to look over his shoulder at Tenten, who was standing behind him. The he let go his coffee and started standing up.

“My bad”, he said, taking money out of his pocket and putting it over the counter without even counting it. He gave Neji a quick glance. “Sorry for delaying you”.

The Hyūga stared at the untouched cup of coffee. “But you haven't finish your coffee”, he told him. He didn’t know why, but he felt terrible about kicking the young man out when he was in such a dark moment. 

“It’s fine”, the stranger replied. “I didn’t really want coffee”. He took his cell phone and started walking to the door.

Neji and Tenten followed him. Once outside, the Hyūga used his keys to close the coffee shop, and then turned to the young man. He was standing in the sidewalk, with his shoulders down and a lost look. Even though they didn’t know each other, he felt terrible about leaving him there, so alone and wretched. He made a few shy steps towards him.

“Would you like to have dinner with us?”, he asked. “At least it would distract you for a little while”.

The stranger watched him from over his shoulder. “That’s really kind of you”, he answered. “But I just want to sleep now”. He approached to a green car parked right in front of him and opened the door. Before getting in he turned around to Neji, giving him a tired but honest smile. “Thank you… For listening”.

The Hyūga smiled as well. He didn’t even knew the stranger’s name, but he felt they had connected. It was probably just a sensation, but he really wished he would be fine. 

“You’re welcome”, he answered. “Good luck with your situation, and take care”.

The young man nodded. “You too”, he responded. When he got into the car, the two friends started walking towards the restaurant.

“Who was that guy?”, Tenten asked in a whisper. “And why did he looked so sad?”.

Neji resisted the urge to turn around to see him one last time. “I’ll tell you at the restaurant”, he answered.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He said goodbye to Tenten about two hours later and started walking back to the coffee shop. He lived in a tiny apartment right above his job, and as he returned he kept thinking about the poor young man and his unfortunate story. When he was just a block away from his apartment he was surprised to see the stranger’s car still parked in front of the coffee shop. When he reached it he thought for a few moments, and then decided to pick through the window of the vehicle. He saw the young man laying down in the back seats, covering his head with his arms, probably sleeping. 

First he thought that the best thing to do would be leaving him alone, but then he realized the man was probably there because he didn’t want to go back to his house with his wife. He decided to check on him, just in case he needed anything. Neji got closer to the back door and knocked softly on the window.

The stranger took his arms off his face and shook his head, leaning over his elbows to see who was out there. At seeing Neji, he sat up and reached for the car’s door to open it. The Hyūga stared at him and realized he look even more exhausted than before.

“Hi”, he said softly. 

“Hey”, the young man answered, rubbing his face with his hands. 

“Are you okay?”, he asked. He knew he was being extremely nice with the guy, but it was hard not to empathize with him.

“Yeah...”, the stranger replied with a throaty voice. “I just couldn't go back to my house, and I don’t feel like going to a friend’s house and endure their pitiful looks, so I decided to stay here”.

Neji thought for a few seconds. He knew what he was about to offer was a little crazy, but he simply couldn’t leave him there. “Well, you can’t sleep in your car for the whole night. It looks very uncomfortable”, he finally told him.

The young man reclined over the seat, taking a hand to his neck to massage it a little. He was pretty tall, and Neji could see he had been sleeping in a very bad position. “It is”, he admitted. “But I have nowhere else to go”.

Neji pursed his lips, not daring to say what was on his mind yet. He was afraid the stranger would think he was a lunatic of some sort. But he had already gone too far by waking him up, so he resolved to simply do it. “You can stay in my apartment for the night, it you want. I live here, just upstairs the coffee shop”.

This caught the young man’s attention. He turned to Neji with a surprised expression. “Seriously?”, he asked. The Hyūga simply shrugged, which made him hesitate. “But… You don’t know me”, he said, frowning in confusion.

Neji shrinked his shoulders again. “I know”, he answered. “But you really look like you need a proper place to rest. And it will be just for one night. I don’t mind”.

The stranger narrowed his eyes at him, and Neji feared he was starting to think he was a crazy person. But after a few seconds he seemed to relax. “That’s a very nice gesture, but are you sure?”, he said. “I mean, I’m grateful and all, but you don’t even know my name”.

Neji smiled, surprised of his own amiability. “Well, my name is Neji”, he answered. “What’s yours?”.

The young man stared at him with an open mouth for a moment. Then, he exhaled a soft laugh and returned a week smile. “I’m Shikamaru”, he replied.

“Nice to meet you, Shikamaru”, he said, and turned to the coffee shop. “Come on. Let’s put you in bed”.

While he opened the door, he heard the young man getting out of the car and closing it. He followed Neji across the coffee shop and through the stairs that led to his apartment. Once inside, the Hyūga turned the lights on and left his keys on the table. 

“It’s a little small, but it’s bigger than a car”, he said to Shikamaru, who was still standing next to the door, not daring to enter. “Please, come in. Make yourself comfortable”.

The young man made a few hesitating steps inside, looking around. “I can’t thank you enough for this”, he said. “You must be the kindest guy in the world”.

Neji chuckled softly at this. “I’m not, but I’m glad I can help”, he answered. “I’ll sleep in the couch and you can take my bed so you can rest better”.

Shikamaru approached to him, shaking his head. “Thank you, but I rather take the couch. You’re already doing too much for me, and I’d feel better that way”.

Neji stared at the couch, thinking that he was about to let a complete stranger sleep in his house for the night. That was without doubt the craziest thing he had ever do, but oddly it didn’t feel that weird. Not that he could take back his offer now, anyway. “I’ll bring you some sheets”, he said to Shikamaru, and headed to his bedroom. He came back short later and put a few blankets over the couch for his guest. “Are you sure you’ll be okay here?”.

“Yeah”, Shikamaru answered, sitting over the couch and taking off his shoes. “Don’t worry about me, this is a lot more than I expected for such a shitty night”.

Neji thought he must be very tired, so he started heading to his room again to give him some privacy. “Okay, just call me if you need anything”. He saw the young man biting his lip, as if he wanted to say one last thing, so he stopped walking and stared at him. “Is everything okay?”, he asked.

Shikamaru reclined against the couch and stared at the floor for a few seconds. “Yeah, I’m just wondering…”, he said, and hesitated. Then he turned his head to look at Neji. “Why are you doing this?”.

The Hyūga went silent for a second, knowing he had no idea of how to answer. The truth was he felt sorry for the guy. He couldn't even imagine being in his position, and how overwhelming it must feel. But he couldn't say that, because it would make Shikamaru feel even worse. He took too much time to answer, so the stranger spoke again.

“I get it, you don’t have to say it”, he said, reading Neji’s expression. “Anyway, I really appreciate this. Thank you”.

Neji saw his exhausted face and his tired eyes, and felt glad he had been able to do something to help him, even if it was just letting him stay at his apartment for a night. He smiled to show him that it was okay. “No problem”, he answered. Shikamaru smiled too. “I’ll see you in the morning. Good night”.

The young man nodded slowly. “Good night”.

After those words, Neji turned off the lights and left to his bedroom.

**Hi everybody!!**

**This is a story I’ve been working on during the last days. It has been on my mind for a long time, so I decided to take it out of my head. It was supposed to be a one shot, but it ended up being a little too long, so I decided to divide it into chapters, one for each day. I really hope you enjoy it! If you do, please leave a comment!**

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**2**

  
  


When he woke up the next day he remembered immediately about the stranger staying at his apartment. He stood up, put on his clothes and started walking to the main room, trying to make no sound. Shikamaru was still sleeping, and he decided not to wake him. The young man was so tall that he barely fit on the couch. His feet were completely on the air, and he had one of his long arms resting on the floor. Neji wondered if that was really more comfortable than his car, but the boy had been polite enough not to complain. He chose to use that chance to take a bath before his guest woke up, and walked to the bathroom. 

After a quick shower, he put on clean clothes and returned to the main room. Shikamaru was still sleeping in the same position, so Neji decided to make some breakfast doing as little sound as he could. He walked to the corner of the apartment to where the kitchen was and started preparing coffee. A few minutes later, he hear Shikamaru starting to wake up. 

The young man growled, sitting over the couch and rubbing his face with his hands. Then he looked around with sleepy eyes until he saw Neji.

“Good morning”, the Hyūga said. 

“Hey”, was all Shikamaru could answer. He went back to rub his face with his hands.

“How are you feeling?”, Neji asked.

His guest growled again. “Fine, I guess…”, he replied. Then he leaned against the back of the couch, looking straight ahead. A moment later, he frowned and closed his eyes. “Damn it”.

“What’s wrong?”, Neji asked, already feeling concerned about him. 

Shikamaru took a hand to his forehead. “I just remembered why I’m here”, he said.

He was probably recalling about how his wife had cheated on him, and it must hurt a lot. Neji took two cups of coffee and a few toasts he had just made and approached to the table. “Come sit and have some breakfast”, he told the young man. “It will make you feel better”.

Shikamaru stood up slowly and got closer to the table. He sat in front of Neji, still looking drowsy. He grabbed the cup the Hyūga was offering and took a deep breath of the penetrating scent of coffee.

They didn’t spoke for a long while. Shikamaru looked thoughtful, and Neji imagined he was probably trying to decide what was he going to do about his situation. He saw him taking a long sip of coffee and then lowering the cup, without yet meeting Neji’s eyes.

“Thank you again for letting me stay here for the night”, he finally said. 

“Don’t worry about it”, the Hyūga answered, and he really meant it. “So, what are you planning to do next?”.

Shikamaru considered the question for a moment. He threw a glance to the clock hanging from the wall. “Well, I should go to work now”, he replied. Then he frowned, apparently not liking the idea at all. Leaning over the table and covering his face with his hands like he had done the previous night over the counter, he whined like a little kid who didn’t want to go to school.

“Can you just not go for one day?”, Neji asked. 

Shikamaru lowered his hands and thought about his suggestion. “I guess I could call sick or something”, he said, as if he was thinking out loud. “That’s not a bad idea”. He looked a bit less miserable now, and Neji imagined he was probably not a work fan. “Can I use your phone?”.

The Hyūga arched an eyebrow at this. “What happened to your cell phone?”.

“I turned it off so no one could find me”, Shikamaru admitted without any trace of shame. “Besides, my wife wouldn’t stop calling me and it was driving me insane”. Neji didn’t say a thing about this, and it probably made the young man feel a little judged, because he explained himself immediately. “It might sound stupid, but I’m not ready to talk to anyone yet. Quite pathetic, I know”.

Neji shook his head and spoke in his most comforting voice. “It’s not pathetic. It's totally understandable. And yes, you can use my phone. It is right there”, he said, pointing to its direction.

Shikamaru thanked him and stood up to go pick up the phone. Neji listened to him dialing. When the person on the other side of the line said “good morning”, the Hyūga realized he could hear her perfectly.

“ _ State University, how can I help you? _ ”, a woman’s voice asked.

“Hi”, Shikamaru answered. “This is professor Nara, from the Physics department. I need to talk with professor Aburame, from the Chemistry area. Tell him it is important, please”.

“ _ Of course, just a minute _ ”, the receptionist replied, and Shikamaru was put on hold. Short moments later another person picked up the phone, but this time it was a man. “ _ Shikamaru! Where the hell are you _ ?”, he said. “ _ I’ve been calling you all morning but your cell phone is off _ ”.

“I’m sorry, man, I just had a little problem”, he young man answered, but then stopped for a second, and frowned. “Wait, why had you been calling me?”.

“ _ Because Ino called me last night, asking if I knew where you were _ ”, the voice explained. “ _ She told me what happened with Temari… I’m so sorry, Shikamaru. Are you okay? _ ”.

Shikamaru frowned even more. “What? And how the hell does Ino know about it?”, he asked.

“ _ Well, Temari was desperately trying to find you, and she called her to see if she knew something. But she couldn’t localize you either, so she called me _ ”, the voice responded.

Shikamaru ran a hand across his face with exasperation. “Great, so probably everybody knows now”.

_ “Don’t be mad at her. She’s just worried about you. We all are _ ”, the man on the phone kept talking. “ _ Please, tell me where you are _ ”.

“No”, Shikamaru replied firmly. “Look, I’m fine. I just need some time alone. I just called to ask you to tell my boss that I’m sick or something, and that I won’t be going for a few days. Could you do that for me?”.

The voice hesitated. “ _ Alright, but you know we just want to help you, right _ ?”.

“Yeah, yeah”, Shikamaru answered. “Just do me this favor, okay? That’s all the help I need for now”.

“ _ Sure. And remember, whenever you’re ready, we’re all here for you _ ”, the voice added.

“I know”, the young man replied, now a little calmer. “Thanks, buddy. I’ll see you in a couple of days”.

After saying goodbye, he hung up the phone and walked back to the table to sit in front of Neji. He took another sip of his coffee and closed his eyes, probably thinking that now all his friends knew about his situation. The Hyūga decided it was better do distract him, so he thought about something. “Professor Nara?”, he asked.

Shikamaru opened his eyes and stared at him. He lowered his cup and shrugged. “Yeah, profesor Shikamaru Nara, that’s me”, he said.

“You are a professor? At the University? Seriously?”

The young man arched an eyebrow at him. “Why are you so surprised?”.

Neji hesitated. “I don’t know”, he answered. “You look very young to be a professor”.

The Nara leaned against the back of his chair. “Yeah, well. It’s not as good as it sounds”.

The Hyūga laughed softly at this. “What do you teach?”, he questioned.

“Classical mechanics, and structure of matter”, he answered boredly. Both things sounded very complicated, and Neji couldn’t help but to be surprise.

“That’s very impressive”, he said. 

But Shikamaru was more interested in staring at his coffee. “You think?”, he said, not paying much attention. 

“I do”, Neji affirmed. “Anyway, what are you going to do now?”.

The Nara scratched the back of his head, thinking. “I don’t know”, he replied. “Probably just wander around the city, hoping no one finds me”.

Neji didn’t push him. He totally understood that he needed to be alone to clear his thoughts. He stood up, taking his cup to the sink. “Well, I have to go to work”, he said. “But you can stay here if you want”.

He started washing his cup, and Shikamaru took that time to think about his offering. “Really?”, he asked at his back. “Would you let me stay here all day while you’re out working?”.

Neji turned around while he dried his hands with a dishtowel. “You spent the whole night here, and you didn’t robbed me or try to kill me, so I think it’ll be fine”.

Shikamaru smiled. He really looked relieved, and Neji could imagine why. Having a place to stay was a lot better than wandering around the city on his car. “That is so great”, he said. “Thank you. Man, I have to pay you for all of this somehow”.

Neji laughed softly. “You don't need to”, he replied, and took his keys to start heading towards the door. “If you need me I’ll be at the coffee shop, okay?”. 

Shikamaru smiled, still a little in shock. “Okay, and thanks again. You’re like, the best”.

Neji laughed again, and waved him goodbye before disappearing behind the door.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He worked at the coffee shop all morning and all afternoon, like every day. It was a little had to focus on the clients orders, because he couldn’t stop thinking about the Nara. They had met less than 24 hours ago, but they behaved like they were old friends. That was very unusual for Neji, because he was always pretty distant with strangers. He had to be polite with all his clients, but he had never tried to be friends with any of them. And that was not really what he intended with Shikamaru. He had simply saw he was going through a rough time and offered his help. But that was no like him either. He never got into other people’s business, and he was still surprised about how natural it had been for him to offer his house to the Nara. All he could think about was in getting back to the apartment to check on Shikamaru’s state. He had not came down to the coffee shop, which meant he was still up there. When he was finally able to close, he went straight to the stairs.

In the moment the opened the door of his apartment the scent of food invaded his lungs. He looked inside and saw Shikamaru on the kitchen, cooking. At hearing the door, the Nara turned around.

“Hey, welcome back”, he greeted. He didn’t seem to be fully recovered yet, but at least he was in a better mood. 

Neji approached to him. “Hi”, he said. “Did you make diner?”.

Shikamaru smiled softly, returning to his cooking. “It was the least I could do to thank you for letting me stay here all this time”, he answered. “I used a lot of your things, but I promise I will replace them tomorrow”.

“You don’t have to”, Neji replied, sitting at the table behind him. “This is a lot more than what my friends do when they visit. And it smells really good. I didn’t picture you as a cooking person”.

“I never was, really”, Shikamaru said, removing the content of a pan. “But my wife hated cooking, so when we moved in together I had to learn”.

A dark shadow spread across his face at remembering his wife. Neji realized it was still hard for him to talk about her. “Are you okay?”, he asked softly.

Shikamaru shook his head and focused on cooking again. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just assimilating it yet”.

“Have you decided what are you going to do about her?”, he question, not knowing if the Nara would be willing to discuss that matter with him.

Apparently he did, because when he answered he didn’t sound uncomfortable at all. “No”, he said. “But I turned my phone on and talked with a few of my friends. You know, so they wouldn’t call the police to come get me”.

Neji smiled at the sentence. “I am sure they were happy to hear from you”.

“Yeah”, the Nara agreed. “They’re good people”. He served two dishes with abundant pasta and gave one to Neji, sitting in front of him. “How was your day?”.

Neji shrugged, staring at the food which looked really good. “Monotonous, like always”, he answered. “Did you get bored in here alone?”.

Shikamaru swallowed a good amount of pasta. “Not really, I had a lot to think about”, he replied. “And when I got tired of doing that, I simply contemplated the pretty curious statues you have in here. I can’t believe I didn't noticed them yesterday”.

Neji knew what he meant. Since he was in school, his hobby had been making sculptures. Sometimes he used plaster, other times clay. He had even done a few small jobs with cement, and he loved trying new materials. He liked to work with his hands, getting his fingers dirty and staining his clothes, and he felt that he could express himself much better through those silent forms than with his own words. His apartment was replete with sculptures of different sizes and shapes, and he had a full closet destined only to his tools. 

“What are you?”, Shikamaru asked. “Like an art collector?”.

Neji giggled softly. “No, I just like experimenting with materials, I guess”, he explained.

The Nara stared at him with surprise and stopped eating. “Wait”, he said. “You mean you made all those things?”. Neji shrugged and then simply nodded. “Wow, you’re really good. I mean, I know nothing about art, but I can see you’re talented”.

The Hyūga blushed at the compliment. He had never shared his work with other people except from his closest friends, though he had fantasized to become a great artist a couple of times. They spent the next hours talking about it, and Neji suddenly found himself telling Shikamaru about his dream of exposing his work in an art gallery. He seemed pretty interested about the whole thing, though the Hyūga imagined he was just trying to distract himself from his problems.

When they finished eating, the Nara stood up to wash the dishes. “Please, don’t”, Neji told him. “You are my guest, and you cooked. You shouldn’t be washing dishes”.

Shikamaru ignored him. “C’mon, is the only thing I can do to repay you for your help”, he said. “Besides you’re been out working the whole day and I’ve been here doing nothing”.

After he was done with the dishes, he sat at the table in front of Neji once more. “Okay, this was nice, and I really needed a bit of time away from everybody, so thank you again”, he started saying. “But I think is time for me to go”.

Neji nodded. He knew it was just a matter of time for things to get back to normal, but he had to admit he had enjoyed the Nara’s company, a lot. He wondered if they would ever see each other again, but didn’t dare to ask. “Where will you go now?”, he questioned instead.

“I guess I can stay with my parents while I figure out what to do with my marriage”, Shikamaru answered. “Though it’s gonna be troublesome...”.

“Why?”, Neji asked.

“Well, it’s complicated”, the Nara explained. “My parents are great, but my mother never really liked my wife. I can already hear her saying over and over again  _ I told you you shouldn’t marry her _ ”.

Neji took a moment to think. He knew relatives were hard sometimes. He had no parents, but he was in contact with his uncles, and they weren’t easy. The only people in his family he really liked were his two cousins. “That sounds annoying”, he said. “But you can stay here as long as you need”.

Shikamaru stared at him. Yes, he was offering him his home to him, again, to a person he had met a day ago. But he simply couldn't stop his mouth from saying those words. The Nara pursed his lips. “Listen, Neji. I really appreciate your help”, he said. “But I don’t want to bother you anymore”.

The Hyūga shook his head. “You don’t bother me”, he answered. “I’m actually enjoying the company”.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows sarcastically, like he was teasing him. “Really?”, he asked. “You rather have a depressed stranger crashing in your apartment than being by yourself?”. Neji simply shrugged, and the Nara stared at him with astonishment. “You know, if I was a religious person, I would definitely think you’re an angel”.

Neji chuckled softly at his words.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

  
  


The next morning was pretty much like the previous one. Neji woke up to find Shikamaru still asleep over his couch. He had run out of coffee, so when the Nara finally opened his eyes, he proposed they had breakfast at the coffee shop. Shikamaru agreed, and they got down together. It was pretty early, but people started coming in in the second they saw the lights on. Neji was busy delivering everyone's orders for a while, but finally he was able to sit in front of Shikamaru at the counter to have a quiet breakfast. Or that was like it looked like for the first five minutes, before the loud voice of a woman broke the peace. 

“THERE HE IS!”, she screamed. Neji turned to the door, and saw a beautiful blond girl with long hair approaching to the counter, followed by a few more people. At seeing them, Shikamaru hit his forehead with his palm.

“Oh, crap”, he whispered.

The newcomers walked fast to where they were. “What is wrong with you?!”, the blond woman said, looking very angry but also full of concern. “How can you just disappear like this? I almost had a heart attack!”.

Shikamaru just rolled his eyes at her. “We were so worried!”, a woman with short pink hair added. “We were afraid that you had done something crazy”.

“Like what?”, the Nara asked. “Killing myself? As if I have the energy to do that right now”.

The blond woman gave him a soft punch on his shoulder. “Don’t joke about that”, she said. “It’s not funny”.

“I never said it was…”, Shikamaru mumbled. “How did you guys find me?”.

“I asked Kiba to track your cell phone and tell us your location”, the blond woman answered.

Shikamaru frowned at her, though he seemed more annoyed about having been discovered than with her. “Hey, he can’t do that just because he's a policeman. That’s invasion of privacy”, he said, but Neji could tell he didn’t mean it.

“Well you didn't leave us many options”, the woman with the pink hair replied. 

“Stop nagging him”, the third and last person said. It was a huge redhead man about their same age, with a kind and solemn face. “How are you feeling, Shikamaru?”.

The Nara stared at him with grateful eyes. This persons seem to annoy him less than the others. “I’m okay, Choji. Thanks for asking”. He said this last sentence staring at the two women with a cold glance. 

It was pretty obvious to Neji that this were the friends that had been looking for Shikamaru during the last days. He thought about leaving, but something made him stay there.

“Shikamaru, listen”, the blond woman started saying. “I know what Temari did was awful, but she feels really bad about it. She called me crying”. Shikamaru’s stare softened at hearing this, but a second later he was frowning again. “Couldn't you give her another chance?”.

The Nara looked at her as if she was insane. “Are you serious?”, he asked. “If Kiba slept with another woman would you give him another chance?”

Neji had no idea of who this Kiba guy was, but he assumed it was the girl’s boyfriend of husband.

“Well, probably not”, the blond woman answered. “But this is different. You’re married”.

Shikamaru closed his eyes at her words. He had not decided about what to do yet, and Neji realized why he didn’t want to talk to his friends. They were only confusing him even more.

“I…”, he said, hesitating. “I guess, I could call her...”. He didn’t sound like he wanted to do that, but Neji imagined he probably felt it was the right thing to do. He saw the Nara taking his cell phone from his pocket, and staring at the screen with doubt.

“At least let her apologize and explain herself”, the woman with pink hair beged. “After you do that it would be easier to make a decision”. 

Shikamaru let out a tired breath. He squeezed the cell phone between his fingers and then lowered his shoulders with resignation. “Fine”, he said. “I’ll call her”.

His friends didn’t leave until they saw him call her. Neji heard him talking to his wife, speaking pretty much with monosyllables. He looked as miserable as the night they had met, and Neji felt just as sorry for him as the first time he had seen him. Shikamaru arranged a meeting with his wife for the next morning in the coffee shop, though he didn’t seem happy about it. 

“Why don’t you come to our apartment?”, the blond woman asked. “We will take care of you until you make a decision”.

Shikamaru finally directed his eyes to Neji. The Hyūga understood the silent question, and simply nodded. “Guys, this is Neji”, he said. “He’s… a new friend. I’ve been staying at his place for the last days, and if he doesn’t mind I’ll be staying there for a bit longer”.

Neji smiled, aware that the three strangers were watching him curiously. “As I said, you can stay as much as you need”.

Shikamaru smiled too. He had to get back to work when more clients arrived, so he left the Nara talking to his friends. When it began to get dark outside they finally left. Neji cleaned the tables and stared at Shikamaru from the corner of his eye. He was still sitting behind the counter, and his sight was lost into the void. After everybody left the coffee shop Neji finally approached to him again. He looked so sad and confused that the Hyūga’s body moved by itself, and he put a hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder. At feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his clothes he realized it was the first time they had physical contact. 

“How are you?”, he asked to the Nara, trying to ignore the strange sensation that was ticking over his palm.

Shikamaru frowned sightly. “I…”, he tried to said, but then he stopped. If it was possible, he looked even worse than the first time Neji saw him. “I don’t think I’m ready to see her”, he finished. He didn’t know what to say, so he simply squeezed the Nara’s shoulder softly, trying to give him some comfort. “I mean, what am I going to tell her?”.

Neji sat in the high chair next to him, without letting go his shoulder. In no moment Shikamaru pushed him away. “I don’t think you have to tell her anything”, he said softly. “She is the one who has to explain herself. You didn’t do anything wrong”.

The Nara looked down to the counter, as if he was really seeing inside himself. “Maybe I did”, he whispered.

Neji inclined his head to a side, not understanding how being cheated by his wife could be his fault. “What do you mean?”.

Shikamaru shook his head slowly. “Maybe I should've been more, I don’t know, demonstrative, or affectionate. Maybe I should’ve spent more time with her, and less at work”. He was making a revision of his own defects, so Neji simply let him talk. “When I was assigned as professor at the University I started staying late with my students, to clear their doubts. Physics is hard sometimes and they needed a little more help, so I started returning home pretty late every night. My wife didn’t like it, she said I shouldn’t work overtime if I wasn’t receiving extra money. But I didn’t care about that, I was doing it for the students. Maybe I should've put her first…”.

For what he was hearing about her, Neji was starting to really dislike Shikamaru’s wife. He had never been in a long-term relationship, but he knew that the most important thing was to always support the people you love and their projects. Telling the Nara to stop doing something that he obviously liked to do only because he wasn’t getting paid for it, of because you wanted to be the center of his life all the time, didn’t sound correct to Neji. He thought about how to explain ii to Shikamaru. “I think what you did for your students was very sweet. It proves that being a professor is not only a job for you, but a vocation. And I’m sorry she didn’t support you in that”.

The Nara thought about his words for a long moment. His face relaxed a little, and Neji hoped it was because he had actually understood what he was trying to say. After a while, he nodded slowly. Then he turned his face towards him. “Thanks, Neji”, he whispered. “Really. I don’t know what I would do if you weren't by my side”.

Neji stared into his deep, black eyes. They didn’t knew each other much, but he felt Shikamaru was an extremely nice and kind person, who didn't deserve what was happening to him. He knew that if he was ever lucky enough to be with someone so wonderful and special like him, he would make sure of never hurting him. He smiled gently, and Shikamaru smiled back, making Neji’s heart melt.


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

  
  


When he got up the next morning Shikamaru was already awake. He was sitting in the couch, staring at nothing. Neji approached slowly to him. The Nara was meeting with his wife in about an hour at the coffee shop.

“Hi”, Neji said softly. “Did you sleep well?”.

Shikamaru turned his head to look at him. He had deep dark circles under his eyes and a dismayed expression. “I didn’t sleep”, he answered.

“Oh”, Neji replied, and got closer to the Nara. “Would you like some coffee?”.

The other shook his head slowly. “No, thanks. I’m just going to wash my face”. He stood up with cero energy.

“Okay”, Neji said. “I have to go open the coffee shop. I’ll meet you downstairs”.

Shikamaru nodded and mumbled something like “right”, to then disappear towards the bathroom. The Hyūga left the apartment and got to work. He opened the coffee shop’s door and turned the lights on. The first clients started arriving, and he focused on getting them their orders. Shikamaru was taking a little too long to get there, and he began to worry. Fortunately, his friend Tenten walked into the coffee shop in that moment, and Neji was relieved to have someone to distract himself. The girl greeted him and sat behind the counter in front of him.

“You look concerned about something”, she said, stirring the tea his friends had just gave her. 

Neji stared at the stairs that led to his apartment, asking himself where Shikamaru was. “Remember that guy from the other night, the one cheated by his wife?”. Tenten nodded. “Well, he’s been staying at my apartment, and his supposed to meet with his wife here today”.

The girl opened her eyes wide at hearing him. “Wow, you let a stranger stay at your place? That’s not very you”.

Neji shrugged. “He had nowhere else to go, and I felt sorry for him”, he replied. 

“Yeah”, Tenten agreed. “He looked really sad that night”.

After she said those words, Neji caught movement coming from the stairs. Shikamaru had finally appeared, and he approached to them dragging his feet. He sat in the chair next to Tenten, not really noticing she was there.

The two friends exchanged stares. He looked really bad. “Um, hi”, Tenten said, smiling kindly to him. “I don’t think we have been properly introduced. I’m Tenten, Neji’s friend from the other night?”

Shikamaru turned to look at her. “Oh, hi”, he answered vaguely. Then he wondered his eyes around the coffee shop, probably searching for his wife. Apparently she had not arrived yet. The Nara moved nervously on his chair.

“Relax”, Neji told him. “Being anxious won’t make it easier”.

Shikamaru met his eyes, and he couldn’t help to think that he looked like a sad, lost puppy. He took a deep breathe and let it out slowly, but that wasn’t enough to make him feel better. “I’ll go wash my face again”, he said, and stood up to walk towards the bathroom.

Tenten and Neji stared at each other again. “Poor guy”, she whispered, and that was exactly what Neji was thinking. 

Another person entered the coffee shop. It was a young, beautiful woman, with blond hair and a voluptuous figure. She sat at a table alone, so Neji approached to take her order. She told him she was expecting someone, and that she would wait for that person before ordering. The Hyūga went back to the counter, wondering if that could be Shikamaru’s wife.

“I don’t think that’s her”, Tenten said, reading her friends expression. “She’s way out of his league”. Neji threw her a reproving glance.

A few minutes later, Shikamaru came back. In the moment he saw the blond girl sitting not far away from there, he turned his back to her and nailed his hands on the counter. “Fuck, there she is”.

So it was her. Neji stared at the woman again, trying to imagine her and Shikamaru as a couple. For some reason it didn’t seem right.

“That’s your wife?”, Tenten asked, not hiding her surprise. “Wow, you must be amazing in bed”.

Shikamaru frowned slightly at her, but he was too nervous to get mad. He threw the woman a quick glance from over his shoulder and then went back to looking straight ahead. He seemed about to collapse. “I can’t do this”, he said, shutting his eyes. Neji realized his hands were shaking.

“Calm down”, he whispered softly to him. “It will be okay. Rember, she's the one who did something wrong, not you. You don’t have to be afraid”.

Shikamaru opened his eyes and picked over his shoulder once more, but he hesitated again. He stared at Neji with an important, desperate face. “You have to help me”, he begged. “Just stay close, in case I start to waver”. 

“Am, okay”, Neji doubted. “I’ll pretend to clean the near tables”.

The Nara nodded, grateful. “Yeah, that sounds good. Just do it slowly. It could take a while”, he said. Then he took one last deep breath and turned around, slowly starting to walk towards the woman. Neji followed him with a wet cloth in his hand and started cleaning the tables that surrounded them, watching them from the corner of his eye.

The Nara stood in front of the woman, and only then she saw him.

“Shikamaru”, she whispered, staring at him with round eyes. Neji realized she was even more beautiful than he had thought.

“Hey”, the Nara answered as he sat in front of her, looking clearly uncomfortable.

“I’m so glad you accepted to meet me”, she said. “I was so worried about you. Nobody knew where you were and I didn’t know what to do”. Shikamaru didn’t answer. He simply looked down to the table, frowning softly. “Shikamaru, I’m so sorry. I feel terrible, and not having you in the house is killing me. I miss you so much…”. The Nara clenched his teeth but didn’t reply. The woman looked desperate. “Please, say something”.

Shikamaru closed his eyes for a second, and then opened them again, still not looking at her. “I’m sorry, it just that, I still can’t believe it. How could you do that to me?”. He finally looked up, and Neji could see the pain reflected on his face.

“I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry”, the woman responded, and she sounded honest.

“We’ve been together for ten years”, Shikamaru keep talking, ignoring her apologize. “You’re my wife”.

The woman bit her lip, having a hard time controlling her emotions. Her blue eyes were filling up with tears. “I know. I have no excuses. I did a horrible, horrible thing”.

Shikamaru held her stare. “Why, Tem?”.

She lowered her head. “I don’t know”.

The Nara looked at her with frustration. “Are you in love with that man?”.

At hearing him, she lifted her head again. “No! Of course not. I’m in love with you”. Shikamaru frowned deeper at her words and diverted his eyes, hurted. “Shikamaru, I never wanted to hurt you. I don’t know why I did it. He was so kind to me, and he made me feel good about myself. But now I understand that that’s nothing compared to what we have”. She reached a hand through the table, but when she was about to touch Shikamaru, she hesitated and stopped. “I told him we must stop. And I swear, it’s all over between us now”.

The Nara arched his eyebrows and turned his face to her again. “What?”, he asked, and frowned once more. “It has happened more than once?”. The woman widened her eyes, realizing of what she had just said. She blushed, but didn’t answer. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at her. “Tem, how long has this been going on?”.

The woman closed her eyes and lowered her shoulders, ashamed. “About a month and a half...”, she whispered.

Shikamaru’s jaw dropped. “What??”, he exclaimed. His looked confused, but mostly consternated.

“Please, listen…”, the woman begged, but Shikamaru cut her.

“No! You’ve been lying to my face for a month and a half?”

“I wanted to tell you…”, she tried to explain.

“You had plenty of time. Every night we went to sleep together and woke up together. You had many chances to tell me”.

“Please, I didn’t mean to do it…”, she kept imploring.

“Fuck”, Shikamaru spat, closing his eyes and frowning deeply. “And in our own bed, Tem. How could you?”.

The girl inclined her body over the table. “Shikamaru, please. I know I did a terrible thing. But I also know that I love you, like I’ve never loved anyone. I made a mistake, a huge mistake. But I know we can make it through this. You’re my first and only love”. Tears started falling down her cheeks. “Please, give me one more chance…”

Shikamaru didn’t answer. He was breathing hard, with his teeth clenched and his eyes closed. Neji could see his whole body shaking, and he felt the urge to approach to him to give him some comfort. He didn’t, though, and simply waited. After a long minute, Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked at him. 

He was searching for the strength to continue, hoping Neji could provide it to him. The Hyūga held his stare, making him know that he was there for him. He looked so helpless that Neji feared he was about to give in. But a moment later, Shikamaru exhaled and turned his eyes to the table again. “I don’t think I can”, he murmured, not meeting the woman’s stare. “I’m sorry, Tem, but when I see you now I can only picture you with that man…”. He pursed his lips. “I don’t trust you anymore”.

The woman took a hand to her chest, hurted by her husband’s words. “But…”, she stuttered as the tears kept rolling down her cheeks. “This can’t be it…”.

Shikamaru sighed, looking calmer now, but at the same time completely torn. “But it is…”. He whispered bitterly. “I want a divorce”.

The woman covered her mouth with her hand. She closed her eyes and cried silently. Shikamaru stood up slowly, probably not wanting to spend another second in front of her. “I...”, he hesitated. “I’ll get a lawyer and send you the papers”.

She trembled in her seat. “I can’t believe this is the end…”, she said between sobs.

Shikamaru looked at her one last time. “Me neither…”, he answered sadly. “Goodbye, Tem”.

After saying this, he turned and started walking to the door that lead to Neji’s apartment. The woman stood up and left the coffee shop, covering her face with her hands. 

Neji stared at Tenten, still sitting by the counter. She had been watching the scene too, and returned a grimace of concern. Without thinking about it, the Hyūga followed Shikamaru, hoping to find him in the apartment, but he hadn't made it through there. He was standing in the middle of the stairs, leaning against the wall with his head down. Neji approached slowly and stopped in front of him.

“Are you okay?”, he asked in a whisper.

Shikamaru let out an exhausted exhalation. His eyes were red and glassy. “No”, he answered in a hoarse voice. “But I will be”.

Neji put a hand over his shoulder. A moment later, Shikamaru took his hand in his and squeezed it softly between his fingers.


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

  
  


For the fourth time that week, Neji woke up and walked to the main room to check on Shikamaru. After his conversation with his wife, the Nara had returned to the apartment and lain down in the couch to sleep, and he stayed there until Neji went to bed. The Hyūga had dined in silence, imagining his guest was probably exhausted. He made sure to leave a few leftovers in the fridge for him, in case he got hungry in the middle of the night. 

“Good morning”, Shikamaru greeted him when Neji entered the main room. He was sitting at the table drinking tea, probably because there was no coffee left.

“Oh, you’re up”, the Hyūga answered, surprised.

“Yeah”, Shikamaru replied. “I woke up a couple of hours ago. Want some tea?”.

Neji accepted and sat at the table in front of him. He wasn't sure about what to say, because he didn’t know if the Nara would want to talk about what had happened yesterday yet. Fortunately, he was the first to mention it.

“I called a friend who is a lawyer, and she said she’ll help me with the divorce”, he said. He didn’t sound happy about it, but he looked better than the previous days.

“That was fast”, was all Neji could think of.

“Well, the faster I do it, the better, I guess”, the Nara replied. Then he frowned, and grimaced with disgust. “Shit, what’s that smell?”, he asked. Neji smelled the air, trying to perceive what he meant, but he couldn’t. Shikamaru sniffed his own clothes. “Fuck, I think it’s me”.

Neji laughed. “You can take a shower if you want”, he offered.

“I probably should”, Shikamaru answered. Neji gave him a clean set of towels and watched him walk to the bathroom. It was almost time to open the coffee shop, so he started getting ready. Fifteen minutes later, he heard the Nara getting out of the bathroom and slowly returning to the main room again. 

“That felt awesome. I should’ve done it days ago”, Shikamaru said. Neji turned around to answer, but at seeing the Nara, he froze. He was wearing nothing but his pants, and the bare part of his body was still partially wet. Neji could tell by the way the light reflected on his abs and chest. His dark hair was down, making him look very handsome. He lifted his hands to tie it in his usual high ponytail, and Neji noticed his well sculpted arms and shoulder. He felt his face warming up, and realized he was blushing. 

Starting to panic, he tried to turn around, but he simply couldn’t stop watching. Shikamaru looked insanely attractive right now. 

In that moment, he heard the door of the apartment being opened. He jumped and turned, to find Tenten staring at them with a surprised expression.

“Oh, sorry”, she said. “I just came by before work to see if you guys wanted to do something tonight”. She smiled mischievously. “I didn’t know you guys were… busy”.

Neji felt his cheeks turning on fire. He cursed himself for giving her a set of keys for emergencies. Feeling trapped, he opened his mouth to say that it wasn’t what it looked like, but the girl spoke first. “I leave you guys to, well, to whatever you were doing”. She winked at Neji and then disappeared behind the door.

He was paralyzed. After what Tenten had implied he didn't know how to turn around. So he didn’t, and instead walked to the table to get his keys, hiding his face from Shikamaru.

“Ah…”, the Nara started saying at his back. “What did she say that?”.

Neji laughed nervously. “Ignore her”, he answered. “She’s a fool”. He started walking to the door, hoping Shikamaru would drop it. But he didn’t.

“Wait”, he called, and Neji stopped. “Are you gay?”.

_ Fuck _ , he thought. Everything was going so well, and now he felt between a rock and a hard place. He turned around slowly, with his eyes nailed to the floor. He didn’t dare to look at Shikamaru. But he had asked him a direct question, so he had to answer.

“Yes…”, he whispered.

The Nara said nothing for a few seconds. When he finally spoke again, he didn’t sounded angry as Neji expected. “Why didn’t you tell me?”, he questioned.

The Hyūga shrugged, feeling extremely uncomfortable. “I don’t know”, he hesitated. “I didn't want you to think that was the reason why I helped you and brought you here”.

He heard Shikamaru making a couple of steps forward. “I don’t think that”, he replied. 

Neji lifted his head and met his eyes. He was surprised to see that the Nara was smiling. “You don’t?”.

Shikamaru smiled wider. “No”, he said gently. “I think you’re just a very kind guy”.

A wave of relief washed over him. He smiled as well, thinking that Shikamaru was the nicest person he had ever met.

After that conversation Neji left the apartment and went downstairs. Short later Shikamaru appeared there too, now fully dressed. 

“Well, I think it’s time for me get back to work”, he said, standing behind the counter in front of Neji.

The Hyūga watched him, not knowing how to say the following sentence. “Umm, I don’t know if the University has a dress code, but you’ve been wearing those clothes for the last five days”.

Shikamaru stared down at his clothes, realizing he was right. “Yeah”, he answered. “I think they stink a little too. But I really don’t want to go to my house to get clean clothes”.

Neji chuckled. “I could lend you some of mine, but they are probably too small for you”.

The Nara shook his head. “No, it’s okay”, he said, taking his phone from his pocket. “I’ll ask Shino to take me some of his to work. But thanks for the heads up”. He started walking away, but then stopped and turned around. “I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

Neji smiled and nodded firmly. “Okay”.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He worked the whole day at the coffee shop, thinking all the time about his conversation with Shikamaru. He didn’t know why, but he had always been insecure about telling people about his sexuality. Probably because in school it had made him target of constant harassment. He liked remembering how nice Shikamaru had been about it, and it was better than to recall his half naked body and the sensations the sight of it had provoked on him. It was so inappropriate to feel that way. The Nara was in the middle of getting a divorce, and besides, he was straight. Neji was enjoying their new friendship, and he didn’t want to screw things up, so he would have to control himself.

Shikamaru returned to the coffee shop when it was beginning to get dark outside. Neji noticed something different immediately. He had changed his clothes, surely thanks to his friend’s help. He was now wearing light brown pants and a white shirt, and to Neji’s disgrace, he looked very handsome. The Hyūga smiled as he approached to the counter. 

“Looking elegant, Nara”, he told him.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he sat on a high chair. “I know, I know”, he said. “This is how Shino dresses. That guys has the soul of an old man”. Neji chucked and started preparing him a coffee. “Could you make it two? I’m meeting with my lawyer now, she should be here at any moment”.

Neji nodded and prepared another coffee. He finished it right when the pink haired woman from the other day entered and approached to them. She said hi and sat next to Shikamaru.

“Thanks for the coffee, Neji, right? I’m Sakura, nice to see you again”, she said to the Hyūga with a warm smile. Then she turned to her friend. “Well, I sent the papers to Temari, and she insisted that I ask you to reconsider”.

Shikamaru shook his head. “Forget it”, he answered.

“Right, that’s what I thought”, the woman replied. “Okay, so now comes the negotiation. The most important asset is the house”.

“She can have it”, the Nara said without even stop to think about it.

Sakura blinked a couple of times, like she had misheard. “What?”.

Shikamaru exhaled. “We bought that house to start a family, and that’s not gonna happen”.

“But, Shikamaru”, the woman answered. “You put almost all the money to buy that house. I remember we celebrated the day you finished paying the mortgage”.

“I don’t care”, Shikamaru affirmed. “I don’t want it. Actually, I want nothing. Just tell her to put all my things in boxes and I’ll go get them, or send someone to do it”.

Sakura hesitated. “Well, that would make things way much easier. But are you sure?”.

Shikamaru nodded with determination. “I am”.

They talked for a little longer, and then the woman left. It was almost time to close, and there were no more clients left in the coffee shop. The Nara stayed by the counter while Neji finished cleaning the tables. Once he was done he approached to Shikamaru, who was stirring his already empty cup of coffee, looking at the wall in front of him. 

“I can get you more coffee, if you want”, Neji said as he sat next to the Nara. Shikamaru snapped out of his daze and stared at his cup, noticing it was empty. He shook his head slowly.

“Nah, I’m fine, thanks”.

He didn’t look fine, though. Maybe talking with Sakura had made him realize that his divorce was really going to happen. Neji was searching for something nice to tell him that could cheer him up a little, when somebody came through the door. He turned to see who it was and found Tenten walking towards them with a friendly smile.

“Hey, you two”, she said. “What’s up?”. Neji returned the greeting and Shikamaru did the same, though in a less enthusiastic way. The woman studied his face. “You look pretty down, man”.

The Nara let out a tired breath. “It’s not the greatest day of my life”, he answered ruefully. 

Tenten stared at Neji, waiting for more information. “He started with the divorce paperwork today”, he explained.

The woman nodded. “Okay, that’s a good reason to feel gloom”, she agreed. “But aren’t you tired of feeling sorry for yourself?”

Shikamaru glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “What should I do?”, he asked. “Celebrate?”.

Tenten rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “No”, she replied. “But you need to raise that spirits. Why don’t we go out and have a few drinks?”

The Nara growled, not very excited about the suggestion. Neji laughed softly. “I think it’s a good idea”, he opined. “It could help you to get distract a little”.

Shikamaru considered his words. “Well, a beer doesn’t sounds bad, actually”.

“That’s the attitude!”, Tenten cheered. “Let's get outta here, then!”.

They left the coffee shop and started walking through the darks streets. The night was warm and pleasant, and there were many places around where they could have something to drink. Tenten chose her favorite bar, a place with loud music and crowded with people. They took a small table and ordered one drink for each. 

Shikamaru still looked a little resistant at first, but as time went by he started loosing up. In about and hour he was laughing openly at Tenten’s crazy stories. Neji was happy she was there, because he was not as funny as her and probably wouldn’t be able to entertain the Nara so well. They kept ordering drinks and chatting like old friends. 

“This wasn’t so bad, right?”, the Hyūga asked to Shikamaru. “You look like you’re having fun”.

“I am”, the Nara affirmed with a huge smile. “I even forgot my life is falling apart”.

That was a terrible thing to comment, but after saying it Shikamaru bursted into laughter, so Neji and Tenten laughed as well. They stayed at the bar until they started feeling too drunk to keep drinking. 

The three friends left the place and started walking back to the coffee shop, joking and having fun. Tenten said goodbye and Neji took his keys to opened the door. He struggled with the lock for a few moments, and realized how drunk he was. He heard Shikamaru giggling at his back.

They finally got in and headed to the stairs to enter the apartment. Once inside Neji staggered, because everything was spinning. He almost fell to the floor, but Shikamaru caught him by the arm just in time. 

“Okay, too much party for you”, he said merrily. “Let’s take you to bed”.

He surrounded the Hyūga’s waist with his arm and started walking him slowly to his bedroom. Neji did his best to ignore the strange sensation Shikamaru’s proximity provoked on him. 

The Nara had to lean against the wall a couple of times to held his own balance because he was just as dizzy as him. They finally made it to the bedroom. Shikamaru helped him lay down on the bed and sat next to him. Neji closed his eyes, expecting it would make the drunkenness go away a little.

“Thanks for tonight”, he heard the Nara saying close to him. “I really had a blast”.

Neji opened his eyes and turned his face to the side to look at him. “Me too”, he answered with a smile. “So you’re feeling better, right?”.

Shikamaru glanced down at him, smiling too”. “Yeah, I’ll survive”.

They stared at each other for a moment that felt very long. He didn’t realized minutes passing, because he was just too immersed in Shikamaru’s black eyes. After a while the Nara blinked, like waking up from a deep slumber. 

“Well, I’ll let you get some rest”, he said as he started standing up. But he barely made it, probably because he was still too drunk. He stopped next to the bed, extending his arms to regain some balance. Neji leaned on his elbows to look at him, and noticed he was reeling.

“I’m walking, right?”, Shikamaru asked.

Neji chuckled. “No”, he answered with amusement.

The Nara looked down at his feet. “Okay, let’s try again”. He made one tiny step forward, but almost tripped. Neji sat up, reaching a hand to take his wrist and pulled from him to the bed before he landed in the floor. He laughed openly at Shikamaru’s state.

“That was close”, he teased him.

The Nara laid down on the bed next to him and laughed as well. “My stupid body isn’t cooperating”, he replied.

“Probably because it has more alcohol than blood right now”, Neji responded. “You better take the bed tonight. You need it”.

“C’mon, you’re just as durk as I am”, Shikamaru said. “But to be honest, I don’t think I can get up anymore”.

“That’s what I thought”, the Hyūga replied. “Just let me grab my alarm clock and I’ll let you sleep”.

Neji crawled over Shikamaru’s body trying not to touch him to reach for his nightstand, but that simple motion made him dizzy again. He fell on top of the Nara, cursing himself for being so clumsy. He tried to get up, but he was having a hard time controlling his body. Shikamaru took him by the shoulder to help him straighten a little, but didn’t quite achieve it. Their faces were now very close, and their eyes met again. Like it had happened minutes ago, they stared at each other for a long moment.

Neji could feel Shikamaru’s warm breathing against his face, and didn’t realize he was starting to blush. A voice inside his head screamed to get out of there, but he simply couldn't move, because Shikamaru’s eyes were hypnotizing. He wished so much to cross the distance between them and kiss the Nara, but he knew he couldn’t do it. He was about to move back and leave when, all of a sudden, Shikamaru leaned closer and pressed his lips against his.

At first Neji thought he had fallen asleep and was now dreaming, but the sound of the Nara moaning softly told him it was really happening. They moved apart a few inches and stared into each others eyes again. There was something different in the way Shikamaru was looking at him now. His cheeks were red and his eyes were full of desire. The Nara licked his lips, tasting Neji’s flavor on his mouth. The sight of it was the most arousing thing the Hyūga had ever seen, and it made his body shiver with lust. 

Their bodies seemed to move by mutual agreement. They crashed their mouths together again, letting their tongues meet with wild hunger. Neji’s hands flew to Shikamaru’s shirt, desperately fisting the fabric and pulling him closer. The Nara took his hands to his nape, clutching his hair with his fingers. The kiss got deeper, and they both groaned with need. Shikamaru’s lips tasted so good Neji felt they were a highly addictive drug. He tried to take his shirt off, but the buttons were making it difficult. Anxious, Shikamaru took it with his own hands and opened it with one movement, tearing it and sending the buttons flying in all directions. Neji pulled the garment off sliding it violently through the Nara’s shoulders, and then threw it to a corner of the room. Shikamaru surrounded his waist with his strong arms and sat him over his lap. Neji couldn’t wait to feel his skin against his, so he pulled off his t-shirt, throwing it to a side as well. The contact of their bare chests and stomachs sent vibrations to his whole body, and he moaned into Shikamaru’s mouth. They started moving unconsciously, rubbing their hot, hard erections through their pants. The heat kept increasing, making it hard to think, and impossible to stop.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

  
  


He woke up when a piercing pain assaulted his brain. Neji took his hands to his face and pressed his eyes with his fingers, feeling the hangover growing. He sat on his bed, trying to remember what had happened. Growling, he opened his eyes and looked around, and in that moment he saw the figure of the person lying next to him. Shikamaru was sleeping by his side, completely naked.

Neji covered his mouth to not scream. Images of the last night started appearing in front of his eyes. Their bodies, hot and sweaty, tangled over the sheets while they kissed and touched and licked each other with passion. He remembered crying in pleasure when Shikamaru climbed on top of him. The rest were just blurry memories.

Would the Nara remember they had slept together? Would he be mad at Neji for not having stopped him? He had never wanted to take advantage of Shikamaru’s dedicated emotional situation, but he simply hadn’t been able to control himself. He wanted the Nara so much, and alcohol had just increased that burning need.

He decided to get out of there before Shikamaru woke up. There was no time to take a shower, so he simply grabbed his clothes and combed his hair with his fingers. Two minutes later he was running down the stairs.

It was still early to open the coffee shop, but he needed the distraction. A few clients started arriving, and he entertained himself getting their orders. At no moment he could stop thinking about the previous night, though. He didn’t remember every detail, but he knew it had been one of the most arousing experiences he had ever lived. Neji shook his head, trying to focus in the tasks ahead. He didn’t know what Shikamaru would say to him when they meet again, and he was really terrified about finding out.

Less than an hour later, the Nara appeared in the coffee shop. Neji noticed he was wearing the t-shirt he had when they met, probably because his shirt was now torn. Panicking, Neji turned his back to him immediately, not feeling ready to confront him. Maye if he acted natural, the young man would mention what had happened. 

“Hey, you’re here”, Shikamaru said at his back. He could hear a slight awkwardness in his voice. “You came down pretty early”. He couldn’t turn around to see him yet, and he didn't know what to say, to he simply nodded and kelp silent, pretending to be busy. The Nara gave him a moment, but at seeing that he wasn’t getting any answer, he spoke again. “I…”, he hesitated. “I think we should talk about what happened yesterday”.

Crap, here it came. Neji fisted an empty cup between his hands, and realized he was shaking. He started preparing a coffee no one had ordered, just to have an excuse to not meet Shikamaru’s eyes. “That’s not necessary”, he whispered.

“What?”, the Nara questioned from behind the counter.

Njei shook his head and tried to remain calm. “We don’t need to talk about it”, he continued. “I understand. You were drunk, and you’ve been going through a lot lately, so you were probably feeling lonely. It’s not a big deal. We can pretend it never happened and just forget about it”.

Shikamaru said nothing for a few seconds, and Neji resisted the urge to turn to him. When the Nara talked again his voice was soft and kind. “But I don’t want to forget it”.

That was definitely not what Neji was expecting to hear. He finally turned a bit to see the Nara’s face. To his surprise, he didn’t look angry at all.

“I mean, I was drunk, and I was feeling lonely”, Shikamaru explained. “But that’s not why I did it”. He scratched the back of his head, searching for the right words. “Listen, I’m not gonna tell you that I’m gay or bi now, because I honestly don’t know. But for some reason, it felt right”. 

Neji approached and left the cup over the counter. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Really?”.

“Yeah”, Shikamaru affirmed. “Look, I know we met just six days ago, and that it’s not much, but even so… I think I like you”.

The Hyūga opened his eyes wide. He looked sincere, and he probably was, because Neji had given him the chance to run away from that situation. “You do?”, he asked in a murmur.

Shikamaru smiled with the corner of his mouth. “Yeah… Does it sound too crazy?”.

That sweet expression made his heart melt. Neji smiled as well. “It doesn’t”, he answered. “I think I like you too”.

The Nara smiled openly to him, and they simply stared at each other for a moment. So things had gone well, very well, actually. Neji thought he couldn't feel happier. 

“I have to go to work now”, Shikamaru finally said. “But I’ll see you tonight, okay?”.

The Hyūga realized he couldn't wait for that moment, and that even though they were still together, he already missed him. He nodded softly. “Sounds perfect”, he responded.

Shikamaru gave him one last warm smile, and then started walking towards the door until he left the coffee shop. Neji watched him go, feeling his heart beat hard against his chest.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the rest of the day he found himself humming silly melodies as he worked. He didn’t know when was the last time he had been in such a good mood, but he realized that since Shikamaru had entered in his life, each day had been better than the previous one. It was so strange that another person could make him feel so good about himself. Six days ago his life was monotonous and pretty boring, and he wasn't expecting it to change. He discovered gladly that having someone's company was a lot better than being alone, especially if that someone was a kind, sweet, interesting person like Shikamaru.

When the Nara returned from work that afternoon he still looked happy too. He greeted Neji with an affectionate smile and sat behind the counter, as always. 

“How was your day?”, the Hyūga asked.

“Pretty good”, Shikamaru answered. “I just talked to Sakura. My wife…”, he made a pause. “Ex wife, has already finished putting my stuff in boxes. She’ll go to her parents house so I can get everything out today”.

Neji was surprised to notice that this information didn’t seem to affect the Nara anymore. “She did it pretty fast”, he commented.

“Well, I don’t have much stuff. Just clothes and books”, Shikamaru replied.

“If you want”, Neji started offering. “I could close the coffee shop and help you with that”.

“Won't you get in trouble with the owner?”, the Nara questioned.

Neji shook his head. “I’m the owner, and I’m fine with it”, he responded.

“Seriously? You own this place?”, Shikamaru asked with shock.

The Hyūga nodded calmly. “I inherited it after my parents died”, he explained.

“Oh”, Shikamaru replied with a sad expression. “I didn’t know your parents were dead”.

“My mother died when I was a child, and my father a few years ago, because of a heart disease”, Neji told him.

“I’m sorry to hear that”, the Nara answered kindly.

He gave Shikamaru a tender smile to show him he was fine. “It’s okay”, he assured. “Shall we go now?”.

Neji excused himself with the clients and told them he had to close. Most of them weren’t happy, but they left a couple of minutes later. After closing, Shikamaru walked to his car and opened the passenger door for Neji. They started driving to the Nara’s house, chatting quietly. 

When they finally got to the place the Hyūga was surprised to see how big it was. They got off the car and entered the house. It was pretty elegant. Everything was perfectly in order and very clean. Neji imagined that was thanks to Shikamaru’s ex wife, because he didn’t look like the kind of person that spent too much time taking care of his habitat.

“Wow, this place is huge”, the Hyūga said as he admired his surroundings. “And fancy”.

“Yeah”, Shikamaru agreed. “Temari wanted a luxurious hose. It was more important to her than to me, so I let her choose. C’mon, let’s do this fast. I don’t want to stay here for too long”.

They started loading the boxes into Shikamaru’s car. They really weren’t much, so they finished pretty quick. When they were all set, they got on the car again. Before turning the motor on, the Nara looked through the window one last time. “Well, goodbye forever, house”. It was amazing how happy he seemed at saying that, probably because it meant that most of his problems were going to disappear with that house, and he was glad he didn’t have to come back.

They returned to the coffee shop and started unloading the boxes, taking them to Neji’s apartment. They piled them up at a corner and then sat on the couch to get some rest.

“Well, I can’t have all of this here for too long”, Shikamaru commented. “I’ll start searching for an apartment tomorrow”.

That sentence made Neji feel a little sad. He was enjoying living with Shikamaru, even though he knew it was just temporary. That meant their time together was coming to its end, though they would still hang out. He nodded, expecting Shikamaru wouldn’t notice his mixed feelings.


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

  
  


The next day was Sunday, so Shikamaru didn’t have to go to work. He sat behind the counter as Neji worked, searching for apartments in the newspaper. At that time of the year there were a lot of places available for rent, so he quickly found some. Neji decided to take that day off to accompany him to see a few of them. He dismissed the customers again and they got to the car to start the tour.

During the next hours they saw four different apartments, but all of them had disadvantages. One was too small, other was in very bad conditions. The third one smelled very weird, and the fourth one didn’t have one single window. They started driving to the fifth one, after agreeing that it was going to be the last one they would see that day.

When they arrived to the apartment, they were happy to realized that there was nothing wrong with it. It had a huge living room and a separated kitchen, next to a very big bedroom. Shikamaru seemed to really like it, so when they got to the car again, he told Neji he thought it was the right one.

“What do you think?”, he asked to the Hyūga.

Neji hesitated. “Well, it was really nice”, he answered. “But it looked pretty big for just one person”.

Shikamaru nodded, considering his words. After a few seconds of thinking, he spoke with a hesitant voice. “It was pretty big”, he agreed. “But maybe that’s a good thing”.

“Why?, Neji questioned, not knowing what he meant.

“Well…”, the Nara doubted. “Have you never thought about moving from your apartment?”.

He opened his eyes wide, realizing what Shikamaru was trying to say to him.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”, he questioned with surprise.

The Nara shrugged. “I know it’s sudden, and that I’m at the middle of my divorce and all, but I was really enjoying living with you”.

That was exactly what Neji felt, but moving in together sounded like a risky step. “I like living with you too”, he answered. “But, what if things don’t work out between us?”.

Shikamaru thought for a few seconds. “Well, you can always move back. But I have a very good feeling about it”, he affirmed. “Besides, think about this: if you move in with me, we can turn your apartment into an art gallery. You could expose your work there, as well as other people’s. That’d be pretty cool, right?”.

Cool? That sounded like a dream come truth. Neji smiled, not being able to hide his enthusiasm at the idea. If there was one thing that could make him happier than to live with Shikamaru, it was having his own space to show people his work. He leaned back on the back of his seat, already imagining how wonderful it would be. 

“Fine”, he finally said. “Let’s do it”.

Shikamaru smiled openly. “Really?”, he asked. “Alright, then!”. He parked the car at a side of the street and took his cell phone. “I’ll call the apartment’s owner right now”.

Neji chuckled, feeling thrilled with the turn of events.

The Nara had a quick conversation with the owner and then hung up. “He says we can move in today if we want to”, he said, staring at Neji with a huge smile. “So, are you sure you want to do this?”.

Neji was so happy he couldn’t talk, so he simply leaned forward and gave Shikamaru a tender kiss on the lips. “I do”, he answered. The Nara laughed, and kiss him back.

They returned to Neji’s apartment and started packing his things. This was really going to happen. He didn’t recognize himself doing something so impulsive, but it was the same thing he had thought when he met Shikamaru and invited him to spend the night at his apartment a week ago. Apparently the Nara made strange things to his brain, but he wasn’t going to complain about it. Acting so different as he usually did was exciting. 

They started taking the boxes down the stairs to then load them into the car. They were laughing and joking around, really enjoying the excitement of the moment. Neji was about to go get more boxes when the voice of a woman sounded at his back.

“Shikamaru?”, it said.

The Hyūga turned around to see who it was, and was surprised to find Shikamaru’s ex wife. She was pressing a folder against her chest.

“Oh, hi”, the Nara answered in astonishment.

The woman looked at the boxes scattered around the floor with a sad expression. “So, you have your stuff already”, she whispered.

“Yeah…”, Shikamaru replied awkwardly, making a few steps towards her. “What are you doing here?”.

“Sakura told me I could find you here”, she said. “I… I signed the divorce papers”.

She handed the folder to Shikamaru, though it didn’t seem like she wanted to do it. The Nara approached and took it.

“Wow, amm”, he stuttered. “Thanks”.

She looked as she was about to say goodbye, but right before doing so, she bit her lower lip. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about this one more time?”, she questioned. “The house feels so empty without you, and I’m willing to do anything you ask to have you back”.

Shikamaru stared at the folder he had on his hands, and then glanced at Neji from over his shoulder. He let out a deep breath and then turned to the woman again.

“I’m sorry, Tem”, he apologized gently. “But I’m starting to rebuild my life. And you know what? I think the fact that you cheated on me was actually the best thing that could have happen to me”. Temari’s eyes become glassy, and she frowned with pain. Shikamaru approached to her and put a hand over her shoulder. “Don’t be sad”, he told her kindly. “This is a chance to start again. And I’m sure you’ll be fine. You don’t need me to be happy”.

Temari lowered her head and simply stood there for a moment, but then she finally exhaled and nodded slowly. She said goodbye and disappear through the door.

Shikamaru turned around to check on Neji. But a second after he did it the Hyūga was running towards him to throw himself into his arms. They hugged tightly, feeling that from now on, everything was going to be okay.

**Well, that was it!!**

**I really hope you have enjoyed it! I have more ideas to write short stories like this, so if you liked this kind of format, please let me know!**

**We’re living scary times this days, and I really hope you guys are safe and okay. Now I’ll go back to my current stories, hoping they help you to go through all of this. Best wishes for all of you!!**

**As always, thanks for reading and for the unconditional support!!**


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